111th Infantry Regiment "Ben Franklins Associators"

05/25/2026

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

Let us remember this Memorial Day weekend those from the Associators who came before us and laid their lives down for the protection of others.

These men inspire us to continue the tradition of service. We will remember their stories and repeat their names to those that follow in their footsteps.

05/24/2026

Remembering the Spence Family on Memorial Day Weekend

Charles and William Spence came from a small farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Before the war both brothers travelled to Chester, PA to find work as machinists in the city. With war on the horizon the younger William enlisted in the local Company C, 6th Infantry PNG, and about a week later his older brother Charles enlisted with the same unit.

After training in Georgia, both brothers shipped to France with the newly formed Company C, 111th Infantry. They survived the unit’s initial combat actions along the Marne, and both crossed the Vesle into Fismette on August 10th, 1918 as part of 1st Battalion’s attack into the town. The fighting in Fismette was brutal, house to house, street to street urban warfare. Both brothers would fall in the fighting there where so many other Pennsylvanians gave their last full measure.

Charles was recovered by his comrades and buried in a temporary cemetery in Fismes, later he was repatriated and sent home to his family in Peach Bottom, PA. There he was reinterred next to a memorial to his younger brother Spencer, who was lost in the ruble and alleys of Fismette, never to be found. His name is inscribed on the wall of the missing at the Oise Aisne American Cemetery.

Henry and Mary Spence applied for service medals and pensions for their two fallen sons after the war, and established the joint memorial pictured in 1921. For them, Memorial Day would be a painful reminder of their families sacrifice for democracy and the world.

We remember the fallen of the Regiment this weekend, and we honor their sacrifices each in our own way.

05/14/2026

May 14th, 1918, The 111th Infantry arrives in France

This footage recently found at the National Archives shows the men of C Company and the rest of 1-111 IN disembarking from their transports at Calais, France 104 years ago today. After arriving in theater the unit began the ever familiar task of offloading equipment and sorting through their baggage before beginning training, something every member of the unit today has experienced at one training event or another.

In just a few weeks of the filming of this video the men of the 111th would enter combat near Chateau-Thierry, beginning the Regiment's five months of active combat in the First World War.

04/25/2026

PFC Nathianel E. DeTample Bridge Dediction in Falls Township, PA. PFC DeTample wa killed in action on August 9, 2005 during a mission in Bayji, Iraq.

04/25/2026

On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, Falls Township, Pennsylvania formally dedicated the Nathaniel E. DeTample Memorial Bridge. PFC Nate DeTample deployed to Iraq in 2005 as a Member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry. He was killed in action on August 9, 2005, at the age of 19, during a mission in Bayji, Iraq.

During the ceremony, remarks were delivered by his gold star Mother Mrs. Kim DeTample Cunningham, Asst. Adjutant General BG Frank McGovern, His Battalion Commander at the time COL Marc Ferraro, and his Company Commander CPT Anthony Callum.

Several former members of Alpha Company who deployed with him were also present.

Event Link: https://fb.me/e/5PRcvHwFV

04/09/2026

Remember our fallen.

On this day in 2013, CW2 Jarett Yoder a veteran Associator was lost in combat operations in Afghanistan. Jarett served with C/1-111 in Iraq and was an important part of the Regiment for years. Chief Yoder was lost serving with the 1-104th ARB in Afghanistan after achieving his dream of becoming a pilot, but he will forever be remembered as a part of the Associator family.

04/01/2026

Fellow Associators,
Falls Township will hold a dedication ceremony on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 11:00 AM to honor our fallen Associator, PFC Nathaniel E. DeTample, by naming the Alden Avenue Bridge over Rock Run in his honor.

Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Qbq1BsKvr/

Falls Township Proclamation:

Home Resources News Falls Presents Proclamations for Fallen Veteran, Longtime Firefighter Mar 24, 2026 General News General News Parks & Recreation All Articles Army Private First Class Nathanial Edward DeTample’s memory and legacy will continue for future generations as part of a formal bridge re...

03/31/2026

Associators and friends may view the obituary and funeral arrangements for our Colonel-in-Chief Emeritus, Former 1-111 INF and 56 BDE Commander, Brigadier General (PA, Ret.) Richard A. Daddona, Jr.
General Daddona served with distinction and left a lasting impact on generations of Associators. We honor his life, service, and enduring legacy.

Retired Colonel Richard A. Daddona, Jr., age 85, of Skippack, PA passed away peacefully on March 19, 2026—by coincidence, while the sound of “Taps” was playing on a TV in the background. Dick was born in Harrisburg, PA on November 21, 1940, the son of Richard A. and Elvira (Durante) Daddona. T...

03/31/2026

The Associator Scroll

March 31st, 1977, 1st and 2nd Battalion first ordered their “Associator Scrolls”.

Adopted under a 1976 regulation allowing for locally authorized badges, the scroll was worn until the 1990’s by the 1-111 and 2-111 IN. Worn initially on the Olive Drab fatigue uniform and later the BDU’s, this patch based on the Ranger Battalion Scroll of WWII would serve as an identifying mark to differentiate the oldest regiment in the PA Guard.

These documents were recovered from a storage box at the 1-111 IN Headquarters and outline the application process, wear, and final revocation of the 111th Infantry Scrolls.

Did you wear the scroll when you served with the 111th? Post your pictures below!

03/25/2026

On March 25th, , we remember SGT James Mestrovich, the Regiment's WWI Medal of Honor Recipient.

James Mestrovitch was born “Joko Meštrović” in modern-day Montenegro, and emigrated to the United States in 1911. He enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 18th Infantry in 1916 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, deploying along the Mexican Border in support of the “Border Campaign” following incursions by Mexican bandits into US territory.

On April 13th, 1917, the 18th Pennsylvania Infantry was called to federal to guard vital wartime industry in western Pennsylvania. A short time later, the men found themselves shipped to Camp Hancock, Georgia. Here, the Pittsburgh Regiment joined with the men of the 6th Pennsylvania Infantry from Philadelphia and surrounding counties to form the new 111th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division.

On August 10th, 1918 while his unit was engaged in the town of Fismette, France Sgt Mestrovich saw his company commander, Captain James Williams, fall wounded as the they moved through the ruins of the city. Without regard for his own safety, Mestrovich charged forward through a hail of machine-gun fire and falling artillery shells to rescue his Captain, returning to a concealed position to provide life-saving first aid. For this action, he would become the 28th Division’s first Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

Mestrovich was wounded in the fighting where he performed his heroic deed and initially reported as killed in action. He wrote to his uncle back in Fresno to tell him of being shot by machine-gun fire and recuperating in the hospital, stating, "They operated twice on me, and in another month I think I will be just as good as I was and ready for the front again."
Mestrovich did recover and return to the 111th Infantry, but he would not survive the war to receive recognition for his heroic deeds in the streets of Fismette. As the fighting raged in the Meuse Argonne, Sgt James Mestrovich fell in action on November 4th, 1918, with nearly 50 other men from the 111th, when their battalion encountered a concealed machine gun position during a reconnaissance patrol only days from the end of the war.
Sergeant Mestrovich's Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

Seeing his company commander lying wounded 30 yards in front of the line after his company had withdrawn to a sheltered position behind a stone wall, Sgt. Mestrovitch voluntarily left cover and crawled through heavy machinegun and shell fire to where the officer lay. He took the officer upon his back and crawled to a place of safety, where he administered first-aid treatment, his exceptional heroism saving the officer's life.

For more about SGT Mestrovich check out this article in On Point, the journal of Army History, written by Regimental Historian Aaron Heft: https://armyhistory.org/on-point-digital-edition-december-2020/?fbclid=IwAR2IJlv8YevgwmPmIchcllv7d5TXB0e90RjJfV00-DE8m-evLAe0d7ecUvM